With what is easily one of the best electronic releases of the past year, Andrew Sega, aka the Alpha Conspiracy, makes his debut with eleven tracks of innovative and infectious dance. Stylistically, Sega walks a tightrope between the experimental sounds of Richard James (The Aphex Twin) and more club-friendly outfits like Underworld. I initially threw this one on as I began to clean my office, and within moments I was grooving around the room -- much to the delight of passersby. Whereas a great deal of electronic music is best described as icy and repetitive, Sega's compositions are completely engaging.
A large part of this captivating appeal is in the disc's well-considered pacing. For example, consider the way the tracks "Black Sunrise", "Winter", "Skeptopotamus" and "Glass" work together. The first is a prime example of solid club dance; beginning with arpeggiated melodies combined with ephemeral string pads over top of a solid back beat, the rhythm pushes forward until it lets up in a sigh of relief at the end. This same pattern makes a brief return at the beginning of "Winter", then morphs beneath a processed vocal line. Interweaving sighs with the synthesizers, the verse gives way to a tidal chorus of flowing strings. Through the vocal line, Sega acknowledges the gothic appeal of the Darkwave movement. As this track fades, the music's approach reverses with "Skeptopotamus", adding complex, syncopated drum loops with more simple melodic lines. This sound clearly owes a debt to the Aphex Twin -- a debt which Sega repays with keen interest. The focus on curious percussion continues into "Glass", which by virtue of its sonic textures takes on a more trance-like, Eastern feel. As a whole, these four songs encompass some of my favorite current electronic movements, and they do it in an intelligent and elegant manner.
The rest of Cipher is of equal quality. As a whole, the album plays like an hour with a quality DJ -- with the added bonus of personal continuity. If you have any interest in electronic music with a dance edge, this is one conspiracy you ought to take seriously.
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